Across a Crowded Room

Aberystwyth's B team had a good evening on Tuesday 7 March, while the A team were losing narrowly to Cardigan in the cosy space of the small function room at the Brynamlwg Tavern. Julie van Kemenade, continuing her return to chess, played a typically enterprising piece sacrifice with Black against Iwan Griffiths to get a dangerous attack which he was unable to defend. James Corrigan dominated the centre against Owen Llywelyn's King's Indian, and the Black counterplay on the queenside was not enough compensation. Ian Finlay, playing another King's Indian, missed a chance to go a piece up, but Tegwyn Jones lost on time. On fourth board, Sam Holman did win a piece, and by the time Emyr Llywelyn had regained it, White's attack was unstoppable. A clean sweep for the B team, 4-0.

[Event "DyfedLeague:AberystwythB-Gwyddbwyll.com"] [Site "?"] [Date "2017.03.07"] [Round "?"] [White "Griffiths, I."] [Black "Van Kemenade, J."] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B07"] [WhiteElo "1609"] [BlackElo "1743"] [Annotator "Rudy"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "2017.03.08"] 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 Qc7 5. h3 e5 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Be2 Be7 8. Qd2 {leaving castles options open} h6 (8... O-O 9. g4 Re8 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. g5 Be7 12. d5 Nf8 13. O-O-O Ng6 {Suliborski-Kubien, Wroclaw op 2011,0-1}) (8... b5 9. a3 a6 10. O-O O-O {Bhawoodien-Solomons, RSA ch Cape Town 2014,1/2-1/2}) 9. Bh4 Nf8 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. d5 c5 (11... Ng6) 12. Nb5 (12. Bb5+ Ke7 $11) 12... Qd8 13. c4 {the pawn structure makes it a Czech Benoni( usually reached in the first4 moves)} Ng6 14. g3 a6 15. Nc3 Bd7 16. Kf1 {keeping the R guarding h3} O-O 17. Kg2 Be7 $11 18. Nh2 {angling for f4} Bg5 19. Qd1 f5 20. exf5 Bxf5 21. Bg4 Qf6 {Komodo10} 22. Rf1 (22. h4 Bxh4 $15 23. gxh4 Nxh4+ 24. Kg3 e4 $19 { Komodo10}) 22... Ne7 (22... Rae8 {Komodo10} 23. Qe2 (23. Bxf5 Qxf5 24. Qg4 { Rudy} e4 25. Qxf5 Rxf5 26. Rae1 Bd2 27. Rxe4 Rfe5 28. Nf3 Rxe4 29. Nxe4 Rxe4 30. Nxd2 Rd4 31. Nb3 Rxc4 32. Na5 Rd4 33. Nxb7 Rxd5 34. Re1 Rd2 $11) 23... e4 24. Rae1 $14) 23. h4 {Wh gets tempted the second time round; however Bl gets chances & the Wh defence has to be accurate} Bxh4 24. gxh4 Qxh4 25. Bxf5 $15 { brings another Bl piece into play} (25. Kh1 Ng6 (25... Bg6 26. f3 Nf5 27. Bxf5 Rxf5 28. Qe1 Rh5 29. Qxh4 Rxh4 30. Rg1 Bd3 31. b3 Rf8 32. Rg3 b5 $14) (25... Rab8 26. Qf3 b5 27. cxb5 axb5 28. Ne4 Bxe4 29. Qxe4 Rf4 30. Be6+ Kh8 31. Qg2 Rbf8 $11 {Komodo10}) 26. Rg1 Nf4 27. Bxf5 Rxf5 28. Qg4 Qxg4 29. Rxg4 Nd3 30. Ne4 Nxf2+ 31. Nxf2 Rxf2 32. Rg6 Rd8 33. Rag1 Rf7 34. Rxh6 $16 {Komodo10}) 25... Rxf5 26. f4 (26. Ne2 Rh5 $19 27. Rh1 Qh3+ 28. Kg1 Rg5+ 29. Ng3 Rxg3+ 30. fxg3 Qxg3+ 31. Kf1 Rf8+) (26. f3 Raf8 27. Qe1 Qxc4 28. Kh1 Rh5 29. Qe4 Rf4 30. Qxc4 Rxc4 31. Kg1 Rd4 $15 {Bl is getting too many pawns for the piece}) 26... exf4 $19 (26... Rh5 $1 $19 {Komodo10} 27. Rh1 (27. Ng4 Ng6 28. Kf3 Rf8 29. Ke3 Rxf4 30. Rxf4 exf4+ 31. Kd2 Rg5 $19 {Komodo10; the N has no retreat}) (27. Nf3 Qxf4 $1 (27... Qg4+ {also wins} 28. Kf2 Rh3 29. Qe2 Qg3+ 30. Ke3 Qxf4+ 31. Kd3 Rf8 $19) 28. Ne2 Qg4+ 29. Kf2 Rf8 $19) 27... exf4 28. Qf3 Rg5+ 29. Kf1 Nf5 30. Ne4 Ne3+ 31. Ke2 Rg2+ 32. Kd3 Rxh2 $19 {Komodo10}) 27. Qf3 (27. Nf3 Qg3+ 28. Kh1 Rh5+ 29. Nh2 Rxh2#) (27. Ne4 f3+ 28. Rxf3 Qxe4 $19) (27. Qe1 Qg5+ 28. Kh1 Re5 29. Qf2 Nf5 $19 {all Komodo10}) 27... Rg5+ 28. Kh1 Nf5 29. Ne4 (29. Qxf4 Ng3+ { drops the Q}) 29... Ng3+ 30. Nxg3 fxg3 {Bl gets the piece back with interest} ( 30... fxg3 31. Qg2 (31. Qe2 g2+ 32. Qxg2 (32. Kg1 gxf1=Q+ 33. Kxf1 Rf8+ 34. Nf3 Qh1+ 35. Kf2 Rg2+ 36. Ke3 Rxe2+ 37. Kxe2 Qg2+ 38. Kd1 Rxf3 39. Rc1 Rf1#) 32... Rxg2 33. Kxg2 Qxc4 $19 {Komodo10}) 31... gxh2 32. Qe2 (32. Qxh2 Qe4+ {mates}) 32... Rg1+ 33. Rxg1 hxg1=Q+ 34. Kxg1 Rf8 35. Rf1 (35. Qg2 Rf4 (35... Qd4+ 36. Kh1 Rf4 {both win the Q for R})) 35... Qg3+ 36. Qg2 Qxg2+ 37. Kxg2 Rxf1 38. Kxf1 Kf7 {Komodo10; and the endgame is easy}) 0-1 [Event "Dyfed League:AberystwythB-Gwyddbwyll.co"] [Site "?"] [Date "2017.03.08"] [Round "?"] [White "Corrigan, James"] [Black "Llywelyn, O."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E62"] [WhiteElo "1449"] [BlackElo "1513"] [Annotator "Rudy"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "2017.03.08"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. d4 d6 5. Bg5 (5. e4) (5. g3 {main}) 5... O-O 6. Qd2 (6. e3 {is the Smyslov, system, with Qc2 & Rd1 to follow}) 6... Nbd7 7. g3 (7. Bh6) 7... Re8 (7... c6) (7... e5) 8. Bg2 c6 9. O-O Qc7 10. e4 e5 11. b4 $146 {a little risky opening up the long diagonal/ this is usually prepared by Rb1or closing the centre} (11. Rfe1) (11. d5 {main}) 11... exd4 12. Nxd4 Ne5 $15 13. Qe2 (13. c5 dxc5 14. bxc5 Nfd7 15. Nb3 Nc4 16. Qe2 Nde5 17. Rad1 Be6 18. Bc1 Na5 19. Qc2 Bc4 20. Rfe1 Rad8 $15 {Komodo10}) 13... Bg4 (13... Qb6 $1 { attacks N & b4 pawn,} 14. Nc2 Bg4 {f pawn now pinned} 15. Qe3 Qxe3 16. Nxe3 Nf3+ 17. Bxf3 Bxf3 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Rac1 Bxe4 $17 {Komodo10}) 14. f3 Bd7 ( 14... Qb6 15. Rad1 Bd7 $17) 15. Rab1 (15. Rfd1) 15... a6 16. Rfc1 (16. c5) 16... c5 {creates a d5 weakness} (16... b5 $1 17. cxb5 axb5 18. Rd1 (18. Ncxb5 $2 Qb6 $19 {unpinning with a counerpin}) 18... Ra3 $15 {Komodo10}) 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Nd5 Qd8 19. bxc5 dxc5 20. Nb3 {Bl has Q side pawn weaknesses as well} Be7 (20... b5 $1 21. Nxc5 Nxc4 22. Nxd7 Bd4+ 23. Kh1 Qxd7 24. Qd3 Qa7 25. a4 $14 {Komodo10}) 21. Nd2 (21. f4 Nc6 22. Qf2 b6 23. Rd1 Rb8 24. e5 $16 {grips the centre, Komodo10}) 21... Bc6 22. f4 Nd7 23. Nf3 (23. e5 $16 {creates an e4 invasion square}) 23... Bxd5 24. cxd5 Nf6 {drops a pawn} (24... b5 25. e5 c4 26. Kh1 Bc5 27. a4 {and the Wh centre pawns are better than the Bl Q side pawns ( the Wh pieces are in more aggressive positions, & can exploit both the strength of their own & the weakness og the opposition pawns}) 25. Rxb7 $18 Bf8 26. Ne5 Qc8 27. Rcb1 (27. Rxf7 {quite playable} Rxe5 28. Rxf6 $18) 27... Re7 28. Rxe7 Bxe7 29. Nc6 {a superb outpost for the N, supported at a distance by the B} Bf8 30. e5 Nd7 31. d6 (31. e6 {also strong}) 31... Qe8 32. Qe4 (32. Qc4 {Komodo10}) (32. Ne7+ Bxe7 33. Bxa8 Bxd6 34. Bd5 {Rudy, also possible, but the R is doing no harm}) 32... Kg7 33. Rb7 Qc8 34. Na5 (34. Rc7 Qe8 35. Bh3 { Komodo10 & Deep Fritz13}) 34... Rb8 35. Bh3 (35. Rc7 Qe8 36. Qc6) 35... Rxb7 36. Qxb7 Qxb7 37. Nxb7 c4 38. Bxd7 c3 {the pawn can be stopped by either B or N.} 1-0 [Event "DyfedLeague:AberystwythB-Gwyddbwyll.com"] [Site "?"] [Date "2017.03.07"] [Round "?"] [White "Jones, Tegwyn"] [Black "Finlay, I."] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E61"] [WhiteElo "1197"] [BlackElo "1372"] [Annotator "Rudy"] [PlyCount "54"] [EventDate "2017.03.08"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. Bf4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. e4 (6. e3 {more usual with this London system setup}) 6... Nbd7 7. Bd3 {obstructs the d file, especially if Wh is considering exchanging on e5} (7. Be2 {more positional}) 7... Re8 (7... Nh5 8. Be3 e5 {scores well for Bl, 66%}) 8. O-O e5 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Be3 (10. Bg5) 10... b6 {Komodo10} (10... Bf8 11. Qe2 c6 12. Rfd1 Qc7 (12... Nc5) 13. Rac1 a5 14. Na4 b6 15. c5 b5 {Ley-Meudt, Koblenz ch 1994,1/2-1/2}) 11. Qc2 Ng4 12. Bg5 Ngf6 (12... f6 13. Bd2 Nc5 14. Be2 c6 {Bl will try & get a N to d4 via e6}) 13. Rfd1 c5 $6 {gives away the d5 square} (13... c6 {keeps control}) 14. Nd5 $14 Re6 (14... h6 15. Be3 Nb8 16. Qc1 Kh7 17. Bc2 Nc6 18. Ba4 Bb7 19. Qc2 Qb8 20. a3 Rf8 21. Bxc6 Bxc6 22. b4 Qe8 $11 {Komodo10}) 15. a3 Bb7 16. Rac1 $16 Rc8 17. b3 Qe8 18. Be3 Nxd5 (18... Nb8 $5 {trying to put a N on d4 }) 19. cxd5 Rd6 20. Bc4 (20. Nd2 {is a better piece to put on c4; its not blocked by the pawns like the B}) 20... a6 21. Qd2 Nf6 22. Qe2 (22. Qc2 Ng4 23. Bd2 b5 24. h3 Nxf2 25. Kxf2 bxc4 26. bxc4 $16 {the Wh pieces are better placed} ) 22... Nxe4 $17 {a centre pawn is usually more valuable than a side pawn} 23. Bxa6 Bxa6 24. Qxa6 Rcd8 (24... f5) 25. Qc4 Nf6 26. Nxe5 Rxd5 (26... Qxe5 $19) 27. Rxd5 Nxd5 $17 {and Wh lost on time} 0-1 [Event "DyfedLeague:AberystwythB-Gwyddbwyll.com"] [Site "?"] [Date "2017.03.07"] [Round "?"] [White "Holman, S."] [Black "Llywelyn, E."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B09"] [WhiteElo "1334"] [BlackElo "943"] [Annotator "Rudy"] [PlyCount "53"] [EventDate "2017.03.08"] 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. f4 d6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Nc3 O-O 6. Bc4 {vey aggressive, though Bl can equalise with a tactic.} Nbd7 {dangerous} (6... Nxe4 $1 {breaks up the centre, & leaves the f4 pawn obstructing Wh's development} 7. Nxe4 (7. Bxf7+ Rxf7 {is also fine for Bl}) 7... d5) (6... c6 {is another way to limit the power of the B} 7. e5 dxe5 8. fxe5 Nd5) 7. e5 (7. O-O {also scores 70%+ for Wh}) 7... Ne8 (7... dxe5 8. fxe5 {is worse as it opens more lines}) 8. e6 Ndf6 (8... fxe6 {had to be tried} 9. Bxe6+ Kh8 10. Ng5 Nef6 11. Nf7+ (11. O-O { may be even stronger}) 11... Rxf7 12. Bxf7 $16 {though somehow Bl managed to win 2 games out of 3}) 9. exf7+ Kh8 (9... Rxf7 10. Bxf7+ Kxf7 11. O-O $16 { is the best bet}) 10. fxe8=Q $18 Qxe8 11. O-O e6 12. Qe1 Qe7 13. Qh4 Re8 14. Re1 c6 15. d5 (15. Ng5) (15. Bd3) 15... cxd5 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. Ng5 {both Players had seen that} (17. Qxe7 Nxe7 {& Bl regains the piece}) (17. Bxd5 { though is still correct, because after} Qxh4 {breaking the pin against the Q} 18. Nxh4 {there is still a pin against the R}) 17... Nf6 {However , despite returning the piece, Wh still has a winning attack against the K as Bl's Q side pieces are unable to help in the defence} 18. Bd2 (18. Bd3 $1 Kg8 19. f5 h6 20. Nxe6 g5 21. Qd4 (21. Bxg5 hxg5 22. Nxg5 Qd8 23. Kh1 {is only a small advantage for Wh; Komodo10}) 21... Qf7 22. Qxd6 Ng4 23. Bd2 $18 (23. Bc4 $18 { Komodo10})) 18... Nh5 {hoping to use a pin on the Q} (18... d5 19. Bd3 Kg8 20. f5 gxf5 21. Bxf5 h6 22. Nxe6 Ne4 23. Qxe7 Rxe7 24. Nxg7 Kxg7 25. Bc3+ Kg8 26. Bg6 Re6 27. Bxe4 Rxe4 28. Rxe4 dxe4 29. Bd4 b6 30. b3 Bf5 31. c3 $18 {Komodo10} ) 19. f5 $1 $18 Bxb2 20. Rad1 (20. Rab1 {may have been played}) 20... Bd4+ 21. Kh1 (21. Qxd4+ $18) 21... h6 {will the pin work?} 22. fxg6 (22. Qxd4+ {also}) 22... Bf6 23. Nf7+ Kg7 (23... Qxf7 24. gxf7 Bxh4 25. fxe8=Q+) 24. Qxh5 Bg5 25. Bxg5 Qf8 26. Qxh6+ Kg8 27. Qh7# 1-0